


Family Visit

by bobadeluxe



Category: Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Animal Abuse, Family Feels, Family Issues, Ficlet, Gen, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Kid Fic, Light Angst, Willy Stampler is His Own Warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26137075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobadeluxe/pseuds/bobadeluxe
Summary: Ron visits Grunkle Stuart throughout his early childhood.(Short scenes from an AU where the cast of AMOD survived, and Stud lived long enough to meet Ron.)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 30





	1. Family talk

**Author's Note:**

> heed the tags! there is no graphic depiction of abuse, but its heavily implied in their discussion about Willy.

Ron tiptoes his way towards the living room, careful not to make a sound. He's visited Grunkle Stuart many times now that he knows which floorboard would betray him. He presses himself flat against the wall, and pokes his head through the doorway. Just a little so he could see inside, but kept most of his body out of sight for a quick retreat.

Grunkle Stuart has his back turned towards Ron, but Mommy could still see him from where she sits. She doesn't though, 'cause she is.. crying? She looks really upset. Ron doesn't like to see her sad, but if he asks her what's wrong, she would never tell him why. The only way to know is to sneak around, and listen to their conversation. He feels guilty though – it's not polite to eavesdrop. Daddy gets so mad when he overhears him on the phone sometimes with his lady friends.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Mommy says. "Can I just stay here? Until I know?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Grunkle Stuart puts his hand on her shoulder, with a gentleness that Ron didn't know such a big man could have. "You and Ron can stay here as long as you like."

Mommy sniffles, "Thank you so much."

"I can talk to him, you know – "

"Oh no, please,  _ please _ don't," Mommy begs. "You can't. He doesn't even know I'm here. He'll be so, so mad."

"It's okay. It's okay. Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't want me to do." He strokes her shoulders. "Now, I want you to be honest with me and answer my question, alright?"

"O-okay."

Grunkle's voice turns serious. "Did he hit you?"

"No!" Mommy immediately refuses. "He never did. If he did, I would not – I wouldn't still be with him."

Grunkle doesn't sound convinced. "Would you?"

"Of course, I wouldn't. I wouldn't put my poor Ron at risk like that." Mommy looks down to her hands. "I can't."

"If he hits you once, he'll do it again," Grunkle says.

Mommy gives a small, bitter laugh. "Yes, I've heard that one before."

"And if he stops hitting you, he will just find another way to hurt you."

"Oh." Mommy looks up at him. "I.. I guess I can see how that could happen."

Grunkle squeezes her shoulder and pulls away. "You need something, you just let me know."

"I already imposed.."

"I mean it."

Mommy finally smiles. "Thank you, Mr. Stampler."

Grunkle says something about getting dinner ready, so Ron quickly sneaks away before he comes out of the living room. He goes into the kitchen instead, and acts like he was just wandering around the house until Grunkle Stuart finds him.

"Hey there, buddy." Grunkle Stuart sees him and smiles. He's the only one who does that nowadays. "Are you lost?"

Ron nods. Grunkle chuckles and bends down to pick him up. Before he reaches Ron though, he winces and stops midway, rubbing his lower back painfully.

"Are you okay?" Ron asks.

"It's just my back, don't worry." He picks Ron up with ease now that he recovers. Grunkle Stuart is the strongest, biggest man he knows, even more so than Daddy! He's so far up from here it feels like Ron is floating. "You hungry?"

"A little," Ron nods.

"What do you want for dinner?" Grunkle looks at Ron weird when he just shrugs. "You can pick anything, you know."

"I can?"

"Yes, what do you want to eat?"

"Uh." Having options is hard. "Mac and cheese?"

Grunkle laughs. "Mac and cheese it is."


	2. Family album

Ron sits on Grunkle Stuart's lap as he looks at the family photo album. Grunkle points at the photos, telling him the story behind each one. He didn't know there was so much story to his family – Daddy never told him anything. Ron doesn't know half of these people, but they all share his surname. 

"That's my brother Carl." Grunkle points at the person next to him in the photo; a boy with shaggy hair and a bandage on his nose. "Heh, he always got into trouble."

"Who's that?" Ron asks, pointing at the woman behind them.

"That's your great grandmother, Francis," Grunkle says with a fondness in his voice. "I love her very much."

In every page Grunkle flips to, Ron notices the same thing. Everyone in the Stampler family is big and tall. Great grandma Francis had broad shoulders, and towered over her husband. Grunkle Stud and his brother were tall even when they were kids.

"Will I grow big and strong like you too?" Ron asks. Right now he isn't very big, and it's tiring when he has to reach for things. Other kids laugh at him sometimes.

"Maybe," Grunkle says. "Do you want to?"

Ron shrugs."I think so."

"Being small has its perks too, you know? I don't fit under the bed like you do. I'm bad at hide and seek."

Ron giggles, thinking back to when they played hide and seek, and Grunkle was too tall to hide behind the lamp. 

"Your daddy wasn't tall either." Grunkle flips to another page. "See?"

Ron gasps. Daddy looked a lot like him back then, especially because his head couldn't reach Grunkle's waist like Ron.

"But he's taller now," Ron says.

"Not by much! Have you seen us next to each other?" That's true, but Grunkle is so big.

"He feels tall though."

Grunkle Stuart hums. "Hm, that depends on how you look at him."

Ron couldn't imagine looking at him from anywhere but below.

Maybe one day.


	3. Family pet

Mommy couldn't find a pet sitter this time, so they brought Dotty with them too. Ron carries him, and Mommy carries their bags. When Grunkle opens the door, he greets them with a friendly smile as usual. His smile fades however when he sees the dachshund in Ron's arms.

"I'm sorry," Mommy says, flinching at the way Grunkle looks. "I know I should've asked first, but we were in a hurry – "

"No, no. It's fine." Grunkle pulls the door open all the way in. "Come on in."

Mommy mutters a quick  _ thank you _ , and carries the bags inside. Ron stays behind, craning up his neck to look at Grunkle the same way Dotty is doing now.

"Grunkle Stuart, this is my dachshund Dotty." It's important to introduce him, because he couldn't do it himself. "Dotty, say hi to Grunkle."

Dotty sticks his tongue out, panting. His tail wags with excitement.

Grunkle chuckles. "Hello, Dotty."

"Can you please shake his paw too?" Ron asks.

"Of course," Grunkle says and takes Dotty's tiny paw into his palm. He gives it a little shake. "Nice to meet you."

Dotty likes Grunkle, Ron can tell. It's great that his two favorite people are getting along.

Grunkle helps Mommy settle in, so Ron sits and waits in the living room with Dotty. Ron plops Dotty down and lets him explore the new place, sniffing at all the new scents he seems to enjoy. After a while they join him in the living room. Mommy looks a little concerned, but otherwise okay. Grunkle has a tray of cookies and milk for them. Ron waits for permission.

Grunkle blinks. "Oh, right. These are yours, buddy. Eat as much as you want."

"Thank you – "

"No _sir_ ," he interjects. "It's very polite of you, but from now on assume that every food in this house is yours to eat, alright?"

"Thank you, grunkle." His smile is even warmer than the cookies when Ron brings one to his mouth. It's really good. "Do you want one too, mommy?"

Mommy sits down next to him and ruffles his hair. "I'm alright, dear."

"Now, I need to go over a few ground rules," Grunkle Stuart says in his 'serious' voice. Ron begins to notice that adults have different voices they use. This one means  _ listen up _ , unlike daddy's serious voice which means  _ apologize.  _

"You can't let Dotty out on his own, especially at night." He gestures towards the door. "It's safe for me to live out here, but not so much for a small dog."

So, the same rules with Ron then. That makes sense. "Okay."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Mommy reassures him.

Grunkle nods, looking somewhat relieved. "Good, good."

In the corner of the living room, Dotty lays down on the cool wooden floor, and rests his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stud, internally: oooooh why do they have a pet. oh no. ohh no.


	4. Family time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theres a brief mention of animal abuse in this chapter. nothing that takes place in the story, but mentions of how willy treated dotty in the past.

Grandpa Stuart is a great story teller. Even Dotty likes his story, though he tends to fall asleep right before the good part. (Ron makes sure to get every detail, so he could tell Dotty later when he wakes up.) Their conversations often break into stories about  _ the good old days _ , as he calls them. 

Mommy seems apologetic and tells him 'it's what old people do.' When Ron says he doesn't mind, she smiles and calls him a good boy. Grandpa Stuart likes telling these stories, and Ron likes listening to them. He likes how they make Grandpa laugh. His wrinkles become more pronounced when he does so, even the crow feet that tend to get lost amongst the scars. 

Grandpa Stuart talks of his old friends a lot. Good ol' Hildy, who dedicated herself to the pursuit of truth, and never seemed to rest a day in her life. Robbie, who was braver than he ever gave himself credits for, and a better father than Grandpa Stuart could ever be. Meryl, who was  _ as pretty as a picture. _ She sounds like a nice lady.

"Do you have her photo?" Ron asks.

"I do have his photo, yes," Grandpa Stuart says softly.

_Oh_ , okay.

He never told Ron how he got his scars, though. Every time he asks, he gets the same response. Grandpa Stuart would ruffle his hair like he is doing now, and say  _ I'll tell you when you are older. _

Getting older sounds scary, but Ron does have some stuff to look forward to. Maybe he will get taller. Maybe he will get a cool scar. 

They are sitting outside on the porch, watching Mommy play with Dotty on the grass. There is more space around here for Dotty to run around, as long as they keep him in eyesight. Grandpa doesn't want him to get lost in the woods. Grandpa told him that a purebred like Dotty was bred to hunt. He looked surprised when Ron said he already knew. Daddy was.. not  _ happy _ (Daddy was never happy,) but  _ willing _ to have Dotty as long as he made himself 'useful'.

Too bad Ron was a bad influence on him. 

They went on a hunting trip one day, and Dotty didn't do what he was supposed to do. He scared away the animals, and never barked out his location. Daddy was furious. Now every time he barks (and he barks a lot! Dotty likes to talk), it just sets Dad off because he should only do so when they are hunting.

Grandpa looks disturbed throughout the story. "I see."

It's better this way, Ron thinks. Dotty could use his little nose to sniff out other things here, and Grandpa doesn't get annoyed at him when he barks. Mommy is playing fetch with him. At first, Dotty didn't know what to do, but she taught him step-by-step. She teaches him how to bring the ball to her, and then work backward. The distance between them increases as they play. Now Mommy can throw the ball very far, and Dotty is still able to fetch it back to her.

"Good boy!" She says. Dotty's tail wags at the praise.

Ron thinks of how Daddy said Dotty is a stupid dog who could never be taught a lesson, just like him. Mommy never yells at Dotty when she teaches him tricks. Now that Ron thinks about it, she never yells at him too, and he understands when she teaches him homework.

_ "Good boy, _ " she would say when he gets the answer right.  _ "Good boy. _ "


End file.
